By as late as 2150, humanity was still confined to the Sol system. Exploration of anything beyond was accomplished by using sub-light cryogenic exploration ships sent on one-way missions. Some ships, like the Copernicus were programmed to home in on any signal that could indicate intelligent life. Unfortunately, many of the ships launched were for naught. In 2151, Earth made contact with the Centauri. They let us lease time on their jumpgates and sold Earth the technology to make and maintain our own jumpgates. Earth opened up trade relations with the Centauri to partially pay for their leased time on Centauri jumpgates. This sudden influx of technology and contact with another race caused great upheavals in Earther society. Not only were there social, religious, and political disruptions, it also created a hunger for technology. Some technologies, like Changeling Nets, are considered too radical for some species and are illegal for them to possess. Punishment, if caught, is usually in the form of prison or the death penalty. This does not deter some spacers from making "tech-runs." Many Earther megacorporations fund xenoarchaeology expeditions in the hope of finding long lost technology. Earth rapidly assimilated and perfected the technology they acquired and went out among the stars. Space travel became much easier. New starfleets were built by Earthforce. Megacorporations, eager to find new and relatively "free" resources, built and acquired their own small fleets. What these giants could not accomplish, individuals took up the slack, becoming free-traders and scouts. Quite a few people sought to see the galaxy by "hitchhiking" on starships, trading their services for passage. The current hot-spot for exploration is the Rim, or the edge of explored or known space. The Rim is constantly being pushed farther and father back because of heavy Earther exploration. Earth Alliance Exploration |